High Court Backs Barge, Tugboat Rules
According to a recent wire report, the Supreme Court said that federal regulators can impose strict worker safety standards on barges and tugboats. The Associated Press has reported that Justices rejected arguments that the industry was being double-regulated by the Coast Guard and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It was also maintained in the ruling that marine workplaces are not different than traditional businesses. OSHA has maintained that it should not be barred from regulating the industry, as about 100 people are killed on barges and other vessels annually, with another 600 injured. This case arose from an explosion in 1997 that killed four workers on a barge in a Louisiana swamp. Mallard Bay Drilling Inc. contested OSHA's authority to impose fines.
OSHA Standards Applicable on Uninspected Vessels
There has been much ado over the recent Supreme Court ruling that a commercial uninspected drilling vessel must comply with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards since the vessel was not regulated by under the USCG inspected vessel standards. Those in the know within the industry do not regard this ruling as anything of great consequence, but rather a return to nationally uniform rulings of the law. The case Choa V. Mallard Bay Drilling, Inc. involved an explosion onboard the inland drilling barge RIG 52 in June of 1997. The RIG 52 was in Louisiana waters and was nearing completion of a well when an explosion occurred killing four crewmen and injuring two others.
